The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-07-06
MIRABEAU, The MONSTER,
WHOSE MEMORY HAS RECENTLY
BEEN HONORED
With Tablet by the Municipal
Government Of Paris-Fstimate
Of His Character.

,",o"y ono ue"u io"aino
Of it will now be the spoil of the fac.
tons" These prophetic utterances
and the prophecy was with awful
swiftness to be fulfilled-were among
the last words of Gabriel Honore
Riquetti de Mirabeau, the world
compeller, man ruling deputy of
AK" as Carlyle called him. Worn
out by fret and fever, keeping heart
and brain on fire, excess of effort, OF
excitement, excess Of all kinds, labor
incessant. proHigracy that knew not
safety, the Count de Mirabeau died,
on the I'd of April, 1891. He was
only forty-two years of age, and he
may fairly be said to have done the
work OF four-scorce years. The place
OF his passing away was stately
suit OF apartments in the Rue de la
Chauassee d'Antin, Paris. During
his brief but agonizing illness endless
anxious multitudes beset the street,
necessarily seeking ii lings OF the
overwearied giant who had fallen
down to die. The crowd was of all
parties and kinds. The King sent
publicly twice day to inquire; a
written bulletin was handed out
every three hours, and in the end
was printed. The people spontaue.
ously kept silence; no carriages we're
allowed On the road, but lane was
made by the mob for the sister of
Nirabeau. The strong, evil, elo-
quent, passionate man died hard.
Death had mastered the outworks;
power OF speech gone, the citadel Of
the heart still holding cut" By signs
he demanded pen, ink and paper and
wrote demand for opium to end his
agonies. Cabanis, his friend and
physician, sorrowlully shook his
head. "Dormir"-to sleep-the pa
tent again wrote, aud so ended
the famous writer and orator,
through whose shaggy beetle brows
and rough hewn, scanned, carbuu-
cled face there looked natural ugli-
ness, smallpox, incoptinence, bank
ruptcy-and burning fro of genius,
like comet fire glaring fuliginous
through murkless oonfusions." On
the front OF the house in which Mira
beau drew his last breath the NUM-
cipil Council of Paris have Just
caused TO be placed a plate, with an
inscription hearing record that Mira
beau expired there ninety.six years
ago.
The great Scottish historian of the
French Revolution has described
with matchless force and inimitable
picturesqueness the appearance of
Paris and the attitude Of the popula-
ton at the death OF Mirabeau. For
three days there was one wide. low
moan .throuRhout the city. In A
restaurant Of the Palais ROYAL A
waiter remarked to a customer :
Fine weather, Monsieur" Yes
my friend, replied the guest; "but
Mirabeau is dead" On the third
evening Of the lamentation there was
a solemn public funeral Of the de-
ceased. The procession was three
m lies in length; the mourners were
loosely .reckoned at hundred thous-
and; the funeral grafton was pro.
nounced in the church of 81. Eus-
tache, whence the mortuary cortepe
proceeded TO the church st. Gene.
We've, which bad been recently re-
named the Pantheon. In vault of
that stately fame the remains Of Mira.
beau were deposited; but they were
not long suffered 10 remain there.
In November, 1892, a locksmith.
named Canaan, informed the Minis
ter Roland that in the previous
month Of May he had assisted Louis
XVI, who was a we'll known ANA
teur smith, in the fabrication of an
iron safe which was inserted in A
wall behind the waipscot in the roval
bed-chamber OF the Tuileries. The
safe was forced omen; il was found
10 be full OF evidence Of patriotic
treason; and among other damninp
documents were Mirabeau's &C.
knowledgemenis Of moneys paid 10
him by the court. His bust in the
Hall OF the Convention was forth.
with yelled with gauEe until the ex.
tent OF his guilt could be fully as.
certained. At the Club OF the Jaco.
bins another bust Of the
yenal statesman received even
worse treatment; IL was at
once thrown down and shattered 10
pieces. In the autumn Of 1894
the ashes Of Mirabeau were ignomini.
ously flung out Of the Pantheon 10
make room for the corpse Of Marat.
There was grim appropriateness in
the act, for the half 6emented dema.
gogue who was destined 10 fall BY the
dagger OF Charlotte Corday, vas the
only Frcnchman OF note who had
yentured not only TO abstain from
lamenting, but positively TO exult
over the death Of Mirabeau. "Peo.
pie he had written In the Ami du
Penple, rejoice and thank the gods I:
your most formidable enemy is no
more" The convention having de.
creed the expulsion Of the body OF
Mirabcau from the Pantheon, the re.
mains we're brought forth in
q plain wooden shell, and buried
at night in the Cemetery Of the
Clamart, the ordinary place Of sepul.
ture for criminals who had died on
the scafTold. The end was a sorry
one, but, at all events, the bones Of
Mirabcau had lain for three years in
the Pantheon. Much shorter there
was the soiourn OF the
mortal coil OF Marat. His
body in less than four months, was
dragged from the Pantheon and
hurled into the cesspool Of Mont.
martre. With regard TO Mirabeau,
the verdict Of posterity will not be,
perhaps, quite so severe as that
which has long since been passed on
Marat. Honore Gabriel Riquetti
was assuredly in private life a most
vicious aud abandoned man, yet, on
the other hand, il cannot be denied
that he was an earnest ha,cr Of cruelty
tyranny and injustice, aud that he
was as ardent friend Of the liberties
Of his country, bnt that he was re-
luctant TO see that liberty degenerate
into license. His Essay on Despot-
ism" in the clearnoss Of is reason.